John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City water level

Name: John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, John Day River, Oregon, United States

Directions

Very low for late October

Water level

1.12ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT (54 min ago)

Flow: 23.7 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City: the gauge reads 1.12 ft, far below normal for late October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 1.12 ft – 1.13 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 71° 45° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 68° 46° 0.54 in, 77% Wind 18 mph

23 Fri 49° 34° 0.02 in, 44% Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 61° 31° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 62° 40° – Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 42° 27° 0.06 in Wind 8 mph

27 Tue 56° 26° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:18 AM Sunset 06:02 PM Daylight 10 hr, 44 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the John Day River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
John Day River near John DayRiver gauge, John Day River	3.55 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	17 mi
John Day River at Service CreekRiver gauge, John Day River	1.97 ft	Below flood stage	±0	77 mi
John Day River at McDonald FerryRiver gauge, John Day River	205 cfs	Low	+5.0 cfs	123 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Unity ReservoirReservoir	3,786.22 ft	Normal		22 mi
Mf John Day River above Camp Creek, near GalenaRiver gauge, Mf John Day River	15.5 cfs	Very low	±0	26 mi
Phillips Lake and MasonReservoir	3,982.98 ft	Very low		36 mi
Beulah Reservoir and Agency ValleyReservoir	3,290.15 ft	Normal		37 mi
Middle Fork John Day River at RitterRiver gauge, Middle Fork John Day River	24.5 cfs	Very low	+0.6 cfs	46 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT, the water level was 1.12 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City normal?

Very low for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:14036860 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.35794, -118.57605 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.12 ft	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Flow	23.7 cfs	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/13597?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: John Day River at Blue Mountain Hot Springs near Prairie City (usgs:14036860). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oregon/john-day-river-at-blue-mountain-hot-springs-near-prairie-city

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer